


A Number 6 with Extra Cheese

by Regarklipop



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Extra Cheese, M/M, fast food worker, overworked phd student
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27984882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Regarklipop/pseuds/Regarklipop
Summary: Joe needs to finish his thesis but instead he's going through Burger Barn's drive-thru on the off chance of seeing the guy who works the window.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 38
Kudos: 239





	A Number 6 with Extra Cheese

“Welcome to Burger Barn, home of the flame broiled Moo-shroom Double-Up can I take your order?”

Joe can only assume that working a minimum wage job is what’s taken the soul out of the man, but the flat, deadened voice that crackles out of the speaker is a black hole that pulls in any atom of humanity that remains in Joe, who is only half-way through a thesis that’s due in two weeks. 

It’s 3 am. Joe’s got a bag of library books and the caffeine from an extra large caramel macchiato pulsing through his veins. He probably shouldn’t be driving. 

“Number 6 with cheese, fries with gravy, and an extra large Coke.” He may start seeing the split in time with that much caffeine, but he’s got another 3000 words to write tonight.

“The number 6 already comes with cheese. Do you want extra cheese?”

“Sure, yeah, that’s fine” He sincerely doesn’t care. Maybe the extra cheese will lower his blood pressure enough that his hands stop shaking.

“That’ll be $14.76. Please drive up to the window.”

Whatever Joe is expecting at the window, it’s not a handsome looking man wearing Burger Barn’s visor and looking ready to fight God. His nose is cute though, and he’s got a piercing stare.

Joe’s entire brain makes a ‘hrngh’ sound as he tries to get his wallet out while also not saying something stupid. The man at the window looks alarmed. All Joe can think is that he’s in clothing that hasn’t been changed since 6:45 that morning and probably looks half a breath away from death. Figures he can’t look hot at 3am in a Burger Barn drive-thru. 

He taps his card against the machine, probably looking deranged in his efforts to not embarrass himself in front of this guy that he’s already developed a crush on, gets his food and drink, and drives off.

—

He’s back five days later, this time on the way to the library for the next eight hours. He’s definitely not wearing a nice pair of jeans and a turtleneck that Nile had told him made him look like a magician just before he left the house. 

The dulcet tones of his crush welcome him to Burger Barn again. 

“Can I get a number 6 with cheese, fries with gravy, and an extra large Coke?”

There’s a pause on the other side.

“The number 6 already comes with cheese. Do you want extra cheese?” 

“Yes.”

The man gives him his total, Joe drives around.

“You don’t look dead this time,” Drive-thru man says gruffly. Joe blinks at him, his card beeping to let him know that his tap payment’s gone through.

“Sorry?” 

The other man looks uncomfortable, shifting a little bit. “You look better, than you did last time.”

Joe blinks again. “Thank you?” Then watches as the guy goes red and mutters something. Is Joe nuts for thinking this guy is hot?

He gets the full force of drive-thru guy’s stare again. No, definitely not crazy, he’s hot. 

Joe gets his food, drives away, sits down at his carrel, and gives himself exactly ten minutes to have a full sobbing breakdown over his thesis before he gets back to work when his phone timer goes off. 

—

Joe can’t keep doing this. This is the third time in two weeks he’s ended up at this drive-thru. The guy’s going to think that Joe’s a stalker. Which, given that Joe’s managed to intersect with his shift every time he's come by, holds more water than Joe is necessarily comfortable with.

This is the last time he’s doing this. 

At least he’s not in the turtleneck. He’s in a white t-shirt and his favourite earrings. He pulls up to the speaker. Maybe it’ll be someone different.

It isn’t.

“Can I get a number 6 with cheese, fries with gravy, and an extra large Coke?”

The silence this time is notably long. Like, Joe’s glad there’s no one in the line behind him long. 

“The number 6 already comes with cheese; do you want extra cheese?”

“Please.”

He gets his total, he drives around. 

“Even less dead looking,” he says, looking red around the edges. Joe’s ready for the line this time, busts out his nicest smile as he grabs his card out of his wallet, and prays that he doesn’t look like a complete nutcase when he hitches up to lean out the window a little more to tap his card. He absolutely cannot ask for this guy’s number while he’s working, but Joe is more than happy to show off the goods (his pecs in a white t-shirt) to try and see if the other guy will ask for his.

“Thank you,” he winks. “Somehow managed eight hours of sleep last night.” He puts his card away. Drive-thru guy is leaning on the window ledge now, and Joe can finally read his name tag: ‘Nicky’.

“Is it not normal for you to sleep well?” Nicky’s not making any move to get Joe’s food, which is great because Joe isn’t actually that hungry.

“I’m in the last leg of doing my thesis, so I look dead most of the time.”

Nicky nods. “I’m just about to start my doctorate. Just making some cash until it starts.” He looks down at Joe and seems to consider something. “If you’re not in a huge hurry, I’ve got my break? You could come inside to eat?”

Holy shit. Joe nearly pumps his fist before he remembers his date with the library. “Any other occasion, I absolutely would, but I really do have to finish my thesis.” 

Nicky frowns. “If you gave me your number maybe we could set something up later?” He raises an eyebrow and Joe feels like he could drop kick through a window. He grabs for his bag and digs through it for a pen. He could write on a piece of paper, but instead he leans back out and gestures for Nicky’s arm, holding his wrist gently as Joe carefully writes his number on the man’s skin, alongside his name and a heart. It’s probably too much, but he needs to make sure Nicky knows. 

Nicky coughs and goes bright red when he looks at it, but he smiles. 

Joe gets his food, grins widely at Nicky, and says: “Can’t wait to hear from you” before driving off. 

He’s already got a text by the time he gets to the library, and he seriously has to keep himself from putting cheese emojis next to Nicky’s name in his contacts.

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this to tumblr and wasn't going to do anything else with it, but then I realised it was 1000+ words so I could feel justified posting it here. find me @centurydependent on tumblr


End file.
